These gluten-free Cheesy Hash Brown Waffles are two of the best breakfast foods combined and they're so good you'll be going for seconds! Great for breakfast or brunch. They're always a hit and freeze well too!
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Why This Recipe Works
- These waffles are basically hash browns made in a waffle maker with cheese. Lots of it. I'm usually not big on dairy but from time to time it's a delicious treat. The cheese makes the waffles extra crispy and so delicious!
- Savory waffles are a nice change if you're used to only making sweet waffles. Besides, turning anything into a waffle makes it instantly 50x times more delicious! Right?! Right.
- Cooking these in a waffle iron is much easier than making them into fritters on a pan. You use less oil and it takes less time because you do four at once and don't have to flip them.
- These waffles are a good base for any savory toppings you like - veggies, eggs, smoked salmon, pickles of any kind, etc. Anything that would go with hasbrowns!
Ingredients Notes
- Potatoes - Any potatoes work, I used regular yellow potatoes. The bigger they are, the easier they'll be to grate. Don't worry about the exact weight, this recipe is very forgiving. Once I made it with half the potatoes and didn't really until I was eating the waffles. They were still good!
- Eggs - I use large eggs but the size doesn't matter much in this recipe. They're what binds it all together so I don't recommend skipping them.
- Cheddar cheese - Cheese is what makes the outside so crispy and crunch. It adds a nice cheesy salty flavor but you can add less if you want. Skipping it will change the texture but the recipe should still work.
- Dried marjoram - This might be an herb you don't usually use but I highly recommend trying it! It goes really well with potatoes.
This herb deserved much more praise than it gets. It goes well with potatoes, garlic, caraway seeds, and mushroom.
Two of my absolute favorite recipes that use it are these Zucchini Fritters with Garlic and Marjoram and this Potato Leek and Lentil Soup with Caraway Seeds.
You can also make Za'atar Spice Blend with it, and use it for this Za'atar Roasted Eggplant Lentil Salad with Sundried Tomatoes.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Grate the potatoes and add them to a bowl and mix with a sprinkle of salt. Let sit for 10 minutes to allow the potatoes to release more water.
- Squeeze as much excess water out of the potatoes as you can and add to a large bowl. Discard the liquid.
- Squeezing grated potatoes: There's only one part of the process that takes a little bit of time and that's grating the potatoes and squeezing out the excess water. The rest is super easy and quick.
- I highly recommend you squeeze out the water because potatoes have a surprising amount of water content. It would make the finished waffle soft and not crispy at all if you skipped this step. The result is worth the work! This is also why I like to make a double batch so that I don't have to do this again when I'm craving more waffles.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients - eggs, dried marjoram, garlic, cheese, flour, and sea salt (I used one with a mix of herbs). It's easiest to mix everything if you add whisked eggs first, mix them in, and then add the rest of the ingredients.
4. Set your batter aside while you heat up the waffle iron with a little bit of avocado oil (or other cooking oil).
To make the waffles, spoon the batter on the preheated waffle iron, spread it out, and flatten it. It won't raise much and won't spread either. Flattening it helps to cook the potatoes easier and crisp everything up.
Variations and Substitutions
- Herbs - You can skip the marjoram and add different herbs instead to change up the flavors. I like adding dried herbs rather than fresh herbs so they don't burn.
- Chili flakes or garlic chili sauce - Adding heat to these is always tasty, just add some Greek yogurt on top to lower the heat.
- Add different cheese - The recipe calls for cheddar but you can add pretty much any harder cheese you like. I wouldn't recommend cheeses that melt too well like mozzarella. Halloumi would be a great option too because it keeps its shape.
Serving
There are lots of toppings you can serve these waffles with, anything that would normally go with hash browns goes!
- Eggs - I like sunny side up or poached the best here.
- Breakfast sausages - vegan or regular
- Smoked salmon and capers - these two go so well together, especially with pickled red onions too and eggs
- Avocado, roasted tomatoes, baked beans, sliced red onion, or any other veggies you like
Storing
You can store these waffles in the fridge for 2-3 days in an airtight container. You can reheat them either in a toaster or the oven at 350F (175C) for 10-15 minutes.
These waffles are freezer-friendly! This makes them perfect for meal prep. Squeezing out the juice from the grated potatoes can be tiring so I like to do a double batch so I have lots of leftovers to freeze. To defrost and reheat them, just pop one in a toaster until it's hot. Alternatively, you can warm them up in the oven at 350F (175C).
FAQs
If you skip the cheese completely, the texture of the waffles (and the flavor) will change but they will still be delicious. I recommend adding 1-2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast to add the missing umami cheesy flavor.
The texture will change slightly but it should be fine. I find the waffles have enough cheese but you can add more or less as you like. Don't add too much, otherwise, the waffles might start sticking more to the waffle iron.
I wouldn't say they're the healthiest breakfast ever but they're definitely healthier than fried hashbrowns because they use way less oil.
More Waffle Recipes
Do you prefer waffles or pancakes? I'm a huge fan of waffles so the list of waffle recipes on my site is ever-growing. Check out the Pancakes and Waffles category to see the latest additions! Here are three of my favorites:
📖 Recipe
Cheesy Hash Brown Waffles
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 square waffles 1x
- Category: breakfast
- Method: cooking
- Cuisine: american
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Crispy cheesy potato waffles that resemble hash browns. They freeze well so you can make a big batch for later!
Ingredients
- 1 kg potatoes, peeled and grated
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (add less to make it lighter and less cheesy)
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp dried marjoram (or oregano or both)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (I used Bob's Redmill's 1-to-1 gluten-free blend)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- For the waffle iron cooking oil in a spray (I use avocado oil) or use oil and a brush
Serving options: eggs (sunny side up or poached), breakfast sausages (vegan or regular), avocado, roasted tomatoes, baked beans, sliced red onion, pickled red onions, smoked salmon, capers
Instructions
- Add the grated potatoes to a bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Toss and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Squeeze out as much excess water as you can.
- To a large bowl add the potatoes, cheddar, eggs, minced garlic, dried marjoram or oregano, flour, and baking powder. Mix well with a fork or spoon.
- Preheat your waffle iron. I set mine to medium heat.
- Spray with cooking spray and add about 1 cup of the batter in the middle and spread it out so that it’s flat and can crisp up (or simply add enough to fill the whole waffle iron depending on the size of your waffle iron and the waffle shape you want). Cook according to the manufacturer's instructions until golden brown. I cook mine for 8-10 minutes as the potatoes need a little more time than regular waffle batter would. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
- Keep the waffles in the oven preheated to 200F (100C) to keep them warm until ready to serve.
- Enjoy with your toppings of choice. I like serving mine with sunny side-up eggs, smoked salmon, and pickled red onions.
Notes
The kind of potatoes doesn’t really matter in this recipe. Some say it does but I always just use the potatoes I have on hand. Bigger ones are easier to grate.
Storing: You can store these waffles in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days or in the freezer in a freezer-safe container or bag for 1-2 months. To reheat, just pop them into the toaster.
Gloria
What a great addition to brunch on the weekend. I know my family would love to dig into this recipe. Giving it a try soon.
Sharon
Cheesy has brown waffles are the savory breakfast recipe you need ASAP! Great with over-easy eggs on top.
Leslie
This is such a great recipe! I love my hash browns nice and crispy..adding them in the waffle maker just adds another layer of texture. Delicious!
Kayla DiMaggio
These cheesy hashbrown waffles were so delicious! They were so easy to make!
Veronika
I made this recipe yesterday and we all loved it! My hubby asked to make it again this weekend ;)
Marie
Well these are the most appealing hash browns I've ever seen! So perfectly crunchy and cheesy! What a delicious way to multipurpose the waffle iron. Perfect with a runny egg on top!
Loreto and Nicoletta
I am so hungry now. Poratoes and cheese all crisped up in a waffle iron! Brilliant! Two of my most favorite things. This may even make it to our Christmad breakfast table! THANK YOU! DELICIOUS!😋🥰❤🙏
Chenée
These are definitely on the menu for our Christmas morning breakfast! They look so yummy and easy to make!
silvia
What an amazing idea. My family loves waffles and hashbrowns, I never thought about combining both of them. They were so delish, we have a new breakfast favorite.
Ramona
These hash browns look super delicious! I haven't made or had hash browns in quite some time so I am definitely looking forward to making these! Thank you for sharing!